Atlanta Hawks: Dwight Howard, his comments, and his role

Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard has expressed some dissatisfaction with his role at the end of the season Will his unhappiness carry over into 2017-18?

On paper, Dwight Howard had a solid first season for the Atlanta Hawks. During the regular season he did everything he was expected to do. He protected the rim reasonably well, helping the Hawks post the 4th best defensive rating in the NBA

His role was limited offensively, but he set good screens, served as a rim-runner, finished lobs, and gobbled up offensive rebounds. He finished the season averaging 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game on 63.3 percent shooting. He even shot 53.3 percent from the free-throw line.

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However, Howard played just 29.7 minutes per game, the lowest total of his career. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would sometimes bench Howard during the fourth quarter in favor of small-ball lineups that were more potent on offense.

It was an adjustment that often made sense for the Hawks. For all his strengths, Howard has a negative overall impact on Atlanta’s offense. With Howard on the floor Atlanta’s offensive rating dropped from 106 to 104.

They’re forced to play at a slower pace due to his lumbering nature. I’m not saying Howard isn’t productive, because he is, he just doesn’t fit the “pace and space” mantra we tend to associate with teams coached by Mike Budenholzer. The ball doesn’t zip around the court like it did when Al Horford was Atlanta’s starting center.

The game has changed. Small-ball rules the day. Gone are the days when a bruising center could dominate inside using brute force. Teams expect their centers to be able to dribble, pass, shoot, and defend on the perimeter. You have to be versatile to be a starting center in the modern NBA.

Howard doesn’t fit that description. Because of that fact, there are going to be times when Budenholzer has to go smaller to keep up offensively. Howard can still be the starting center. He can still play the lion’s share of the minutes at center. But sometimes he’s going to find himself on the bench in the fourth quarter. That’s just the cold, hard reality of the situation.

After a season relatively free of drama, it now seems that Howard is unhappy with a role that sees him relegated to the bench during crunch-time. He first expressed his unhappiness to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on exit interview day.

"“It was very difficult,” Howard said Saturday. “I want to play. I want to be out on the floor. I want to make a difference. I want to make an impact, and I can’t do that on the bench.”“That’s something that we have to talk about,” he said. “I can’t give you details here.”"

Howard’s unhappiness is understandable. For a stretch from 2007-2012, Howard was the best center in the NBA. He carried a team on his back to the NBA Finals in 2009. He’s likely going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after his career his over. In his mind, he’s still the center that should have won the MVP during the 2010-11 season. Elite athletes have to think that way. Still, it might be time for him to accept that he isn’t that player anymore.

Budenholzer’s response when asked about Howard said it all. Howard is still a productive player, but Budenholzer is doing what’s best for the entire team.

"“It’s not just about Dwight. I understand the questions, I understand Dwight’s frustrations. But offense is about five guys, and Dwight brings a lot to the table that can help us be a good offensive team. All of us have to figure out how to make it better.”"

For better or for worse, the Hawks and Howard are probably stuck with one another. Kevin Arnovitz’s conversation with several executives around the NBA suggested that the Hawks would get nothing more than cap relief and a second round pick in a trade for Howard.

Although, Tom Ley at Deadspin makes a good point. Could the New York Knicks be tricked into trading for Howard? Does Phil Jackson have dreams of turning Howard into vintage Shaquille O’Neal? It’s extremely unlikely, but never count out the Knicks.

He’s got two seasons left on his current contract, so they might as well make the best of it and try to make this relationship work. Howard’s role next season is going to be the same as it was this season. Nothing is going to change.

Budenholzer isn’t going to start calling for Howard post-ups 20 times per night. That’s not going to happen. Despite his unhappiness, Howard still led the NBA in post touches last season with 8 per game.

Post-ups are inefficient shots to begin with and Howard is no longer an efficient scorer on post-ups. According to NBA.com, Howard scored 0.84 points per possession on post-ups and was in the 38th percentile in terms of efficiency.

Atlanta’s offense ranked 27th in the NBA this season, scoring just 104.9 points per 100 possessions. Feeding the ball into the post more often is not going to improve that. I’m not sure how Howard expects his role to change and what role he would prefer to have in the offense.

Next: Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 Season Review: Dennis Schroder

Barring something crazy happening, Howard is going to be in Atlanta next season. For the good of the team I hope he and Budenholzer can sort out their differences before things mirror his time in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Houston.

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